Dispenser for measured quantity of paste



May 24, 1955 1'. w. sco-r1 '2,709,025'

DISPENSER Foa MEASURED QUANTITY oF PASTE Filed March 30, 1953 LE. 2f

"li a INVENTo'R United States Patent DISPENSER FUR MEASURED QUANTITY F PASTE Thomas Willard Scott, Hermosa Beach, Calif.

Application March 30, 1953, Serial No. 345,646;

2 Claims. (Cl. 222-341) This invention relates to a paste dispenser, and viihile more particularly intended to be used as a device for dispensing toothpaste, yet also adapted for dispensing other pastes and in addition usable for dispensing liquids of a pasty or viscid character.

Among the objects of the invention are: to prtivide an improved valvular means to Icontrol the flow of the paste being dispensed; to provide a device for dispensing toothpaste directly from the collapsible containers in which it is commonly sold; and to provide a device that will simplify the extraction of paste or plast-ic materials from commercial tubes with a minimum amount of effort and in a neat, sanitary manner.

A more specific object of the invention is to utilize a coiled spring in an advantageous manner 'to' operate a piston head in a measuring chamber in such a manner as dependably to dispense the desired amount of paste when said piston head is moved by said spring during the expansion of the latter after being compressed as a result of said piston head having been manually moved to one limit of its travel in opposition to said spring.

Other specific objects of the invention are: tov provide a simplified means for operating a piston head in a piston chamber and which will facilitate renewal of a worn piston member; and to provide an improvedl arrangement of attached to a wall, a sectioned fragment of whichv is shown, a fragment of the paste container being shown in dotted lines. y l

Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking from right to left in relation to Fig. l, the wall not being shown. view, also, a fragment of the dispensing container is shown in dotted lines. i

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3--3 of Fig. 2, except that the lstem and end portions of the manually depressible part are shown in side elevation.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the plane indicated by l'i-ne 4-4 of Fig. 3, the scale being enlarged.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the embodiment of the invention therein illustrated comprises a piston cylinder 7 which projects axially from a central rise 8 forming a part of a substantial, circular mounting plate 9 shown secured by screws 10 to a wall 1L These parts are, by preference and as shown, an integral unit, and may be made of plastic or molded rubber. i

Viewing the device in its mounted position, the inner end portion of the piston cylinder 7 is providedwith a tubular upward extension upon which is mounted an annula-r or tubular -adapter holder 16 upon the periph- "ice adapter holder 16 has a diametrically contracted lower end portion 19 which tightly fits within said tubular extension 15. l

The aforesaid adapter 18 is of a sturdy character, being desirably shaped as an inverted, somewhat frusto-conical body. This bodyis provided with a coarsely screwtlireaded axial bore 21 the diameter of which is considerably greater than the diameter of the passage through said adapter holder 16, so that said bore v21 will be properly dimensioned to have screwed into it the spout portion 22 of a collapsible toothpaste tube 23.

Returning to the tubular projection 15 of the piston cylinder 7, Within the lower part of said projection is provided a pair of twin, oppositely disposed segmental shelves or ledges 25, which narrow the passage betweenl them to a broad slot 25a. These shelves normally support a check valve member 26 consisting of a ball the diameter of which is somewhat greater than the width of said slot, but considerably less than its length. When said ball is resting upon said ledges it is but slightly spaced below the valve seat formed by the aforesaid diametrically contracted lower end portion 19 of the adapter holder 16.

The inner end portion of the aforesaid piston cylinder 7 is provided, diametrically opposite to its upward extension 15, with a downward tubular extension 30 having a diametrically contracted lower end portion 31 which has' screwed or fitted friction tight upon it a paste discharge nipple 32 the lower end portion of which is desirably tapered as shown.

Said nipple 32 has within it a check valve structure which is duplicative of the check valve structure in the aforesaid tubular part 16, this latter valve structure like- Wise including (as shown in Fig. 4), a pair of segmental, diametrically opposite twin ledges 35 (like the aforesaid ledges 25) which limit the space between them to a broad slot 35a and with this structure is associated a ball valve member 36 which co-operates with the ledges and overhead part 31 in the same manner as the previously described ball valve structure.

Upon the outer end of the piston cylinder 7 is screwed a centrally apertured cap 40 through which operates the stem 41 of a piston structure furnished at its outer end with a manually depressible button 42 and at its inner end carrying concentrically a disk 43 positioned to abut the outer face of a disconnected piston head or follower disk 44 having a working tit in said cylinder. In its inner face said head 44 is provided with a peripheral groove 45 within which seats the outer end of a coiled compression spring 46, the opposite end of said spring abutting the inner end of the chamber within the cylinder 7. It will be seen that the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a vertically extending conduit means having at its upper end an inlet to receive the paste and at its lower end an outlet for its delivery, and containing two ball valves both of which tend to gravitate to closed position; in combination with a piston cylinder having an inner end portion communicating with said conduit means between said inlet and outlet. But the operation of the device does not depend on a gravity feed, for the spring 46 is powerful enough to cause the piston head 44 (after being manually moved inwardly by pressure applied to the button 42), to move to theouter end of the piston cylinder 7, this operation being repeated until all the paste 'is erally anged upper end portion 17 of which is molded the lower end portion of a rubber tube adapter 18. Said extracted from the tube 23, which is attened in the process as though it had been manually squeezed at.

The device is easy to connect with all sizes of conventional paste tubes, and airtight connections are made throughout all its joints.

The device is small and inexpensive to manufacture. It can be made of a variety of materials. It can be cleaned without being taken apart, if desired, but is easy to take apart and reassemhle without the aid of tools` It cannot easily get out of order and will operate indefinitely when used for the intended purpose.

I claim:

1. In a paste dispenser, a vertically extending conduit having an inlet in its upper portion and an outlet in its lower portion, a piston cylinder one end of which communicates with said conduit between said inlet and outlet, a check valve structure in said conduit between said piston cylinder and inlet arranged to allow ilow of paste only from said inlet into said piston cylinder, a check valve structure between said piston and said outlet ar ranged to allow ow of paste only from said piston cylinder to said outlet, a detached piston head slidably fitting in said piston cylinder, a spiral compression spring in said piston cylinder positioned normally to maintain said piston head in that end portion of said piston cylinder which is farthest from said conduit, a centrally apertured cap secured to the outer end of said piston cylinder, a manually operable piston rod working in the aperture of said cap, said rod carrying an enlarged inner end abuttable against said detachgl piston head to force it' to a retracted position in opposition to said spring, said valve structures each comprising a ball valve, a valve seat which is closed bythe movement of the ball in one direction, and stop means arresting the movement of the ball in the opposite direction, said stop means consisting of a pair of diametrically opposite internal ledges in the passage occupied by the ball, said ledges producing between them a slot of less width than the diameter of the ball and having a length considerably greater than the diameter of the ball.

2. In a paste dispenser, a vertically extending conduit having an inlet in its upper portion and an outletvin its lower portion, a piston cylinder one end of which communicates with said conduit between said inlet and out' let, a check valve structure in said conduit between said piston cylinder and inlet arranged to allow ow of paste only from said inlet into said piston cylinder, a check valve structure between said piston and said outlet arranged to allow ow of paste only from said piston cylinder to said outlet, piston head slidably fitting in said piston cylinder, a spiral compression spring in said piston cylinder positioned normally to maintain said piston head in that end portion of said piston cylinder which is farthest v rically opposite internal ledges in the passage occupied by the ball, said ledges producing between them a slot of less width than the diameter of the ball and having a length considerably greater than the diameter of the ball.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 825,270 Gulliford July 3, 1906 1,376,558 Lien May 3, 1921 1,484,920 Wolfe Feb. 26, 1924 1,585,321 Wilson May 18, 1926 1,866,237 Thompson et al. July 5, 1932 1,986,343 Iskyan Jan. 1, 1936 2,620,943 Critelli et al. Dec. 9, 1952 2,660,342 Ruf Nov. 24, 1953 

